Though it’s been the better part of eighteen years, I can still recall vividly the day I received a phone call at work from the secretary at the church my wife and I had recently joined. As much as I was confused at how she knew the phone number she had reached me at...
“The picture I have of prayer is like Luke 15 and the prodigal son story, where the father ran to him and embraced him; I see prayer more as a hug than a kneeling appeal.” Judah Smith in The One: Experience Jesus. This excerpt from the interview we did with Pastor...
The American church is having a bit of an identity crisis. People want to be entertained, and they have a long list of expected religious goods and services. Pastors can find themselves caught up in having to create “cool plays” or throwing Hail Mary’s, hoping for the...
Recently I looked at a job description list for a local pastor. As anyone would expect to find on such a list, I read things such as: “plan preaching schedule”; “deliver gospel-centered sermons”; “lead weekly staff meeting”; and “perform weddings and funerals.” But...
“We d.i.v.e. deeper into God’s Word so He can dive deeper into us.” I’m a church girl, a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church, knowing all the things about the church—the lingo, the rules, and the traditions—and my head was spilling over with Jeopardy knowledge. I...
“If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy.” “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” This wretched exchange of dialogue between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is only a small part of the disaster that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith brought to the...
CHRISTMAS! The word evokes many feelings, depending on our experiences. For some, Christmas is a happy time, filled with beautiful memories and joyful expectations. For others, Christmas is a depressing time, a season one wants “to get over with” as quickly as...
More than likely, when you were young there was something you really wanted to be when you grew up. Maybe a professional athlete, a police officer, a movie star, or the always popular fireman. Now, there are any number of reasons why that one-time dream of yours...
In September, God gave me the privilege of traveling to Nepal where I provided Bible teaching at two conferences for rural church leaders and pastors. My husband and I ministered there with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN) from 1982-85, so I felt like I’d returned...
If your church is like most, your volunteer base reflects something close to the 20/80 rule: 20% of the people are doing about 80% of the work. My guess is those same 20% of the people are doing 100% of the complaining about why the others 80% aren’t stepping up and...
Though it’s been the better part of eighteen years, I can still recall vividly the day I received a phone call at work from the secretary at the church my wife and I had recently joined. As much as I was confused at how she knew the phone number she had reached me at...
“The picture I have of prayer is like Luke 15 and the prodigal son story, where the father ran to him and embraced him; I see prayer more as a hug than a kneeling appeal.” Judah Smith in The One: Experience Jesus. This excerpt from the interview we did with Pastor...
The American church is having a bit of an identity crisis. People want to be entertained, and they have a long list of expected religious goods and services. Pastors can find themselves caught up in having to create “cool plays” or throwing Hail Mary’s, hoping for the...
Recently I looked at a job description list for a local pastor. As anyone would expect to find on such a list, I read things such as: “plan preaching schedule”; “deliver gospel-centered sermons”; “lead weekly staff meeting”; and “perform weddings and funerals.” But...
“We d.i.v.e. deeper into God’s Word so He can dive deeper into us.” I’m a church girl, a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church, knowing all the things about the church—the lingo, the rules, and the traditions—and my head was spilling over with Jeopardy knowledge. I...
“If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy.” “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” This wretched exchange of dialogue between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is only a small part of the disaster that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith brought to the...
CHRISTMAS! The word evokes many feelings, depending on our experiences. For some, Christmas is a happy time, filled with beautiful memories and joyful expectations. For others, Christmas is a depressing time, a season one wants “to get over with” as quickly as...
More than likely, when you were young there was something you really wanted to be when you grew up. Maybe a professional athlete, a police officer, a movie star, or the always popular fireman. Now, there are any number of reasons why that one-time dream of yours...
In September, God gave me the privilege of traveling to Nepal where I provided Bible teaching at two conferences for rural church leaders and pastors. My husband and I ministered there with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN) from 1982-85, so I felt like I’d returned...
If your church is like most, your volunteer base reflects something close to the 20/80 rule: 20% of the people are doing about 80% of the work. My guess is those same 20% of the people are doing 100% of the complaining about why the others 80% aren’t stepping up and...
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